The Stars | Aaron Hotchner

Chapter 8: Comet Chase

Aaron glared at the guy fondling you, mentally cursing himself for leaving his badge at home. He was ready to throttle the other man as he sent a victorious look over your shoulder, thinking he'd already won.

"No," you whispered, "I came here, with Aaron." You found your voice, gaining strength in Aaron's reassuring gaze. "And I will be leaving here with him, too. So, thanks for the tips, but I'm good now."

Elliot's finger dug especially hard into your flesh as you announced that, shoving you into Aaron's arms as he skated away, muttering about you not being worth it. You clutched onto your friend, tears spilling over from embarrassment and anger.

As Aaron felt you start to tremble, he abandoned the concerns about his feelings being unrequited and focused on providing comfort as he heard your soft sobs. He wrapped an arm around your waist and stroked your hair, guiding your head to rest against his chest. He made soft shushing sounds, his heart breaking at what he just witnessed. If he had gotten to you earlier, or had stayed by your side in the first place, then maybe the events wouldn't have unfolded the way they did. He held you a little tighter as he wordlessly apologized.

You were angry at yourself, if not disappointed, for letting Elliot get that far with you. You had never received unwanted attention before, which resulted in many nights full of tears as you thought yourself to be too unattractive to warrant it. But that was before you realized your worth and how messed up it was that you wanted to be objectified, to be sexually harassed and catcalled because at least it meant you were pretty...

You were embarrassed for the same reasons, the tears welling up in your eyes as you got overwhelmed with the confusion in your emotions. You cried harder as you felt the contrast of Aaron's touch from Elliot's, soft and unsure until you leaned further into his embrace.

You weren't sure how long you stood like that, holding onto Aaron like a lifeline in the middle of the ice, but you found yourself being grounded by his touch and comforting voice. When you were ready to face the world, you pulled back enough to thank him, as well as apologizing for not doing anything as you swiped the back of your hand across your eyes.

"Hey," Aaron pulled your hand away from your face, holding it in his own, "None of this was your fault, Y/N. It was that scumbag's fault, one who acted like a good samaritan to get close to you but betrayed that trust. That's only on him, but I'm sorry I didn't intervene earlier."

You shook your head, "Hey, no no. It's not on you either. It's not your fault he was an entitled white boy, and you couldn't have possibly predicted his behavior when you confronted him." If only you saw the irony in that...

"But--"

"Thank you, for helping me, and coming to the rescue, but I'd prefer if we just drop it and get to skating. This was supposed to be a cel-- time to break a sweat-- not a time to break down."

He stared at you, trying to figure out if you were truly okay but nodding when you gave him a shaky smile in confirmation. You reluctantly pulled away from his warmth and used your, now free, arms to try and steady yourself. When you nearly fell again, you instinctively grasped at Aaron's arm for balance, which he chuckled at before offering it to you.

The two of you made your way around with you stumbling several times, but Aaron's sturdy structure kept you upright. As you seemed to be fixated on your skating, he took the opportunity to admire you.

You had every right to be with another man, but you chose him. Aaron Hotchner, your training buddy and dare he say, friend. Even under stress and threat, you chose him. He thought you to be so brave for standing up to the schmuck, but to declare, without hesitation, that you'd be going home with him, Aaron Hotchner, made him all the more aware of how much he liked you as more than a friend.